Tuesday, March 03, 2015, 12:47 p.m.

Ark. panel advances bill on late-term abortions

A House committee has advanced a bill banning certain abortion procedures, despite opponents' arguments that lawmakers were getting "riled up" over the topic without reading the specifics of the legislation.

Some members of the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee moved to vote on the bill - banning a procedure that opponents call "partial-birth abortion" - without hearing any testimony from the audience. Instead, the panel allowed five minutes of testimony from each side before approving the measure in a voice vote.

Federal law already bans the procedure, and the proposal by Rep. Dawn Creekmore, D-Hensley, includes an exemption for the life of the mother. The bill would make it a felony for a doctor to perform the procedure, and allow for civil liabilities as well.